Bridled nailtail wallaby  (Onychogalea fraenata)

Biology

Bridled nail-tailed wallabies are nocturnal, beginning to feed at dusk. They spend most of the day sheltering in shallow nests scratched out beneath tussocks of grass or bushes and, at night, tentatively come out to feed in the more open grassy woodlands on grasses, shrubs and browse, raking aside dry material and picking up vegetation with their forepaws (6). As the dry season progresses and the pasture deteriorates these marsupials have been reported to gather in larger numbers, though usually they are shy and solitary animals (5).

Females stay with their young until they are independent at around one year old. Usually born in May the offspring are extremely under developed, almost in an embryonic stage, common to all other marsupials(5). They are tiny, with rudimentary limbs and tail, and closed ears and eyes. However, once their umbilical cord breaks they crawl at an amazing speed up through the mother’s fur to the safety of her pouch where they suckle for up to 11 months (4).

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